The present invention relates to a joint support device. More particularly, to a bladder device and a brace apparatus comprising the bladder device.
There are several types of brace apparatuses that are currently being used to provide joint support for specific joint regions, e.g., knees, ankles, and wrists of a user. A brace apparatus surrounds the joint region and provides a predetermined amount of joint support based on the structure of the brace apparatus. Some brace apparatuses are stretchable slip-on type brace apparatuses that surround the joint region and have problems such as providing minimal support due to an inability to be further adjusted. Other brace apparatuses have different mechanisms for performing tightening operation thereof. The latter typically include adjustable straps and/or an air pressure mechanism (e.g., a pump) to allow a user to tighten the brace apparatuses. There are some problems associated with a conventional brace apparatus including only providing pressure/support to the total joint region, thereby providing unwanted amounts of support to some portions of the joint region.